As expectations around workplace culture, equity and opportunity continue to evolve, Applegreen is making huge strides in creating an environment where all colleagues can grow, contribute and succeed.
For Joe Barrett, the company’s group chief executive, that progress is the result of a deliberate effort. “This reflects a long-term strategy centred on fairness, transparency and meaningful investment in people, not just compliance,” he says.
The numbers bear that out. In 2025, Applegreen recorded a significant improvement in its gender pay gap results, reducing the mean gap to 2.45 per cent, down from 6.85 per cent the previous year, a 64 per cent reduction year-on-year. The median pay gap remains very low at 0.65 per cent.
Barrett is clear that while this data doesn’t tell the whole story, it still shows concrete evidence of something real. “These figures show the impact of deliberate initiatives designed to support progression and increase access to development opportunities for everyone across the organisation,” he explains.
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The gender pay gap is only one part of a wider story. Applegreen’s people strategy continues to focus on more than just gender representation to wider areas such as wellbeing, accessibility, clear routes to roles that have more responsibility and seniority and inclusive leadership. With new initiatives such as the ongoing development of career development pathways and strengthened leadership programmes, the business is widening its focus to ensure that all of our people can thrive.
A workforce with broad representation
Katie Neylon, head of people at Applegreen, talks about the workforce with a quiet pride that goes beyond statistics. Women represent 51 per cent of employees in Ireland, the third consecutive year of majority female representation. Employees of 81 nationalities contribute to the business, a figure Neylon finds genuinely meaningful. “This reflects the depth and richness of talent that we have across all levels,” she says, “supporting a culture where progression is both achievable and visible.”
Better data for better decisions
For Neylon, good intentions need to be backed by good information. A key enabler of progress has been the company’s investment in improved data accuracy and analytics, which means Applegreen has a clearer picture of people and can see where change is happening and where more support is needed. “Better insight means better action,” she says simply. The business plans to continue enhancing its analytics this year to get an even more detailed picture of key trends.
Supporting talent development at every level
Applegreen’s commitment to development is central to its long-term people strategy, and last year saw several major initiatives to strengthen that approach. Neylon talks through them with the enthusiasm of someone who has watched them come to life.
A key milestone was the launch of Applegreen’s first women in leadership diploma programme, delivered in partnership with UCD Professional Skills Academy; 15 female colleagues began the programme in September 2025, with two additional groups planned for this year.
“This investment aims to support future succession planning, increase leadership confidence, and build a sustainable pipeline of women for senior roles,” Neylon says.
She’s careful to note that whilst the diploma has been particularly impactful for women’s progression, it forms part of a broader ambition: ensuring leadership development is accessible to all employees with the aspiration and potential to advance.
A cornerstone of the future strategy is the ongoing career pathways project, targeted for completion later this year. The initiative will create transparent maps outlining the skills, experience and development steps needed to move within and across functions, designed, as Neylon puts it, “to empower employees to understand and take ownership of their career progression”.
Last year also saw the launch of a mentoring circle programme, enabling colleagues from different roles and backgrounds to receive career guidance and build confidence. The initiative supports early, mid-career and emerging leaders, and will expand further this year to increase access across the company.
Transparent, fair and inclusive people practices
Barrett sees fairness as a structural commitment, not a reactive one. Ireland’s upcoming pay transparency legislation, expected in 2026, has prompted Applegreen to advance its internal job architecture, a framework designed to ensure clarity across role levels, pay structures and progression routes. “This will support consistency and fairness for all employees,” he says.
The organisation also enhanced its performance review cycle in 2025 to increase fairness and understanding. Initiatives included rolling out unconscious bias training and enhanced employee information sessions to promote clarity. The aim, Barrett says, is to make sure that every employee has an equitable experience in performance assessment and development planning.
A progressive and inclusive policy framework
Applegreen’s benefits and policies continue to evolve to support the varied needs of its workforce. Over the past year, the company strengthened initiatives for working parents, expanded support for reproductive journeys covering fertility, surrogacy and pregnancy loss, and continued its focus on menopause supports.
Perhaps the most significant policy milestone of 2025 was the introduction of one of Ireland’s first cancer support policies. Neylon describes it as a natural extension of the company’s values.
“This is a pioneering initiative designed to provide practical, emotional and financial support for employees affected by cancer, whether personally or through a family diagnosis,” she says. “It offers tailored flexibility and access to resources, reflecting Applegreen’s commitment to compassionate, people-centric policies.”
Flexibility, more broadly, remains one of the highest-rated elements of the employee experience. Employee feedback shows strong support for Applegreen’s hybrid working approach, with colleagues consistently highlighting it as something that helps them manage personal commitments while maintaining performance and engagement.
Embedding inclusion across the organisation
More than 1,000 site-based employees and 250 office-based colleagues completed diversity and inclusion training in 2025. Neylon is particularly pleased that the programme now forms part of mandatory onboarding for new hires. “Inclusion is embedded from day one,” she says.
Recruitment practices have also been reviewed and strengthened, with a focus on inclusivity and reach. Actions included working with recruitment partners to widen candidate pools, introducing a new recruitment platform enabling a consistent and inclusive hiring process, and expanding employer branding initiatives for 2026, including storytelling from employees to profile the diversity of the workforce. The goal, Neylon says, is straightforward: “to ensure talent from all communities sees Applegreen as an employer where they can grow and succeed”.
Looking ahead: A long-term commitment to progress
Barrett is measured when he talks about what comes next, but the commitment is unambiguous. “Applegreen recognises that creating a workplace of equity and inclusion is an ongoing journey,” he says. “The progress we made in 2025, from reducing the gender pay gap to the expansion of leadership programmes and the introduction of pioneering wellbeing policies, reflects our consistent investment rather than short-term initiatives.”
The company’s 2026 strategy builds on this momentum, deepening progress across four key areas: leadership development, career pathways and mobility, data-driven transparency, and inclusive, future-fit workplace policies. By continuing to invest in fairness, opportunity and the long-term growth of its people, Applegreen is building a stronger, more engaged organisation, and helping shape a workplace where all of its people can thrive.
